Happy Chinese New Year. This is the year of the dog, which we are told will bring many great things. The trouble is, each year we are informed that every one of the twelve different animals of the zodiac will deliver its own mix of prosperity, health or happiness. Let’s hope so.

Rather than individual investors trying to pick the right stocks, the best investment vehicle or most promising region, they should instead focus on an aspect of investing that could make the biggest difference to long-term returns: staying invested.

For many top athletes and those driven to succeed, a common mantra is to “control the controllables”. While understanding the impact of things out of your control makes sense, focusing on the things you can influence is a smart way of thinking about investing for the long term.

The start of 2018 has focussed attention on a number of issues, including the strength of the world economy, triggering a debate about whether inflation could return. Alongside this, markets have become concerned about how much monetary policy might be tightened this year.

For many top athletes and those driven to succeed, a common mantra is to “control the controllables”. While understanding the impact of things out of your control makes sense, focusing on the things you can influence is a smart way of thinking about investing for the long term.

An OECD report in December 2017 revealed that the UK pension was the lowest of advanced nations. While some may value the state pension to supplement other income in retirement, it seems it is less likely to make a meaningful contribution – making it more important than ever to have your own pension in good shape.

Are we in a bear market for bonds? And if so, what does this mean? The start of the year has begun much as 2017 finished: with generally positive economic data across the globe, and in turn more optimism about the outlook…

From Our Knowledge Centre

The value of your investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invested.

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